


Slag It

by tarnishedpeonies



Series: Bumblebee Week [4]
Category: Transformers (IDW 2019), Transformers - All Media Types
Genre: Bad Advice, CJ Makes a Cuss, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-04
Updated: 2021-02-04
Packaged: 2021-03-16 19:06:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 624
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29212392
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tarnishedpeonies/pseuds/tarnishedpeonies
Summary: Bumblebee isn't as cool as Cliffjumper. Cliffjumper assures him, he is.
Series: Bumblebee Week [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2139120
Comments: 2
Kudos: 12





	Slag It

Cliffjumper stared at Bumblebee like - well, like he’d sprouted actual flight wings! “What?” Bumblebee didn’t think it was weird! Was it weird?

Shaking his head, Cliffjumper looked away and then looked back at Bumblebee. “I just can’t believe what I’m hearing. Are you okay? Did something happen? Did someone hit you on the helmet?” Cliff reached up and rubbed the back of his own at the mention.

“What, no!” Bumblebee put up his hands and sighed. “But you think it’s all fun and games being the newest bot around, except that people expect things of you like - to be neat, and cool, and I don’t think I am. I don’t even have the best colors! I’m this bright yellow,” he swept his hand down his front paneling. “You’re red! That’s so much more exciting, lots of mechs have red as a part of their color scheme. Yellow?” Bumblebee cringed. “Not so much.”

“So you’re feeling insecure because of your _color_?” Cliffjumper’s helmet tilted, clearly not understanding. Bee couldn’t blame him. He’d been pretty welcomed and celebrated when he’d been forged! Cliffjumper hadn’t been expected at all and was almost ignored. Thought a voin was his mentor! Or, so Bee had heard through rumor, which could be cruel and completely mistaken. Not that it would have been better if it was the truth.

“I just don’t think I’m going to live up to anyone’s expectations.” The idea that he wouldn’t, even imagining it, made Bumblebee feel awful. What could he do about it? He couldn’t change what he was doing if he didn’t know what mechs were thinking of him, and he couldn’t improve if he didn’t know how! He felt stuck, metaphorically. Even if Bee wasn’t a jet or a racer, it made him anxious. “How do I be more like you?”

“Slag their expectations,” Cliffjumper shrugged.

“ _Excuse _me?” Bumblebee stared at his red friend, unsure he understood the crude suggestion. “I mean - isn’t that important? Isn’t that how they measure how successful you are in life and the opportunities you get?” That was all built on expectations. Wasn’t it?__

__Cliff laughed. “And you think that’ll make you happier if you live up to their expectations and have more of their work to do?” Did he? Actually, Bee didn’t know, and found himself staring at Cliffjumper now. “Think about it. What happens when you prove you’re good at work? They give you more work. It doesn’t get better from there, and there’s no promise your life improves with more work. If you’re mediocre or decent, they expect you to manage what they’ve given you, and not much more. Right?” Well, that tracked, sure. “So if you do well _enough_ without wowing them, you’ll have an easier life. Then once in awhile you can bump up your performance without them suspecting how awesome you really are.”_ _

__“You mean lie,” Bumblebee realized. “Is that really how you intend to get by in life? By lying?”_ _

__“You’re the one worried about not being good enough,” Cliffjumper pointed out. “I figure if I do enough to get by, and I _know_ I’m better, there’s nothing to be worried about. I’ll be meeting expectations and no one will be looking at me to be the next prime.”_ _

__Bumblebee looked away. “I don’t want to be the next prime.”_ _

__“Then you’ve got nothing to be insecure about.” Cliffjumper should be right, of course. So long as he didn’t set his performance too high, there was nothing to fear. He could live out his life without worry, without anxiety. He shouldn’t feel insecure! Somehow, that didn’t help. “Though I’ve seen some of what you’re capable of. If you _were_ the next prime. I’d follow you.”_ _

__“Thanks, Cliff,” Bee felt himself smile._ _


End file.
